Innovation

Managing Liquidity and Cash-Out for Social Payments During COVID-19

A Fine Balance: Regulation & Greater Economic Opportunity in the Case of Payment Gateways for Merchants

Opening new payment gateways for merchants presents risks but much greater opportunities. Striking the right balance between fostering innovative services and managing risk is crucial.

Informal Sector and Mobile Financial Services in Developing Countries: Does Financial Innovation Matter?

This paper investigates the impact of mobile financial services - MFS (mobile money, and mobile credit and savings) on the informal sector using data from 101 emerging and developing countries over the period 2000-15.

In Bangladesh, key public and private sector actors commit to scaling digital wages across garment sector

Dhaka, November 20, 2019 - Media release by Government of Bangladesh: Building on what has been achieved so far, the government and the private sector have committed to working together to solve the challenges in ensuring all garment factories pay their workers digitally. The decision came from the Bangladesh Digital Wages Summit, which convened on 20 November in Dhaka.

Senegal: tech helps boost access to health to leave poverty behind

Some African nations lead the world’s e-money businesses. And several are finding that leaving notes and coins behind is not only improving efficiency, safety and transparency, but it is also helping many people leave poverty behind.

Connection between financial innovation and inclusion

This paper explores the nexus between financial inclusion and financial innovation by looking at data from 6 South Asian countries - including 4 Alliance members. It finds a positive relationship between the two and calls for policies keeping this relationship in mind. 

Early Lessons on Regulatory Innovation to Enable Inclusive FinTech

No single initiative is a silver bullet for effective regulation but direct engagement between the regulator and innovator is crucial. Read the University of Cambridge and UNSGSA report on how regulators are innovating to better respond to financial innovation.

“Botón PSE has changed the payment landscape in Colombia”

Interview with Gustavo Vega, President of the clearing house ACH Colombia

Blockchain: Cutting through the noise

Introduction: Framing of our blog series on distributed ledger technology

Distributed Ledger Technology: What Is It and Why Do We Care?

Blockchain Series: Blog 1

Distributed Ledgers: Looking Past the Hype

Blockchain Series: Blog 2

DLT: Keep Calm and Let the Evidence Speak

Blockchain Series: Blog 3

Distributed Ledger Technology and Digital Identity: Prospects and Pitfalls Ahead

Blockchain Series: Blog 4

Distributing Production: Can Distributed Ledgers Fuel a New Wave of Supply-Chain Innovation?

Blockchain Series: Blog 5

Paying Across Borders: Can Distributed Ledgers Bring Us Closer Together?

Blockchain Series: Blog 6

Capturing Our Impact: Harnessing Innovation for Financial Inclusion

This World Bank e-book features stories, videos, and pictures that illustrate how digital innovation not only enables access to financial services for low-income people but also serves as an enabler for delivering clean water, solar energy, education, and more. Most of the featured case studies are from our member countries!

A Regulatory Diagnostic Toolkit for Digital Financial Services in Emerging Markets Toolkit

This University of New South Wales paper proposes a framework – a Regulatory Diagnostic Toolkit (RDT) – designed to support financial regulators in emerging markets to advance their regulatory regimes for DFS.

Pushing the Limits of Innovation, Improving Social Protection and Livelihoods in Cote d'Ivoire

World Bank joined hands with IFC on a project for digitizing and modernizing Côte d’Ivoire's social protection payments. Results show a reduction in administrative costs and better targeting of beneficiaries. Gender impact was high with 51% of 300K beneficiaries being women. Read more.

New Key to Help Unlock the Power of Digital Payments

Across the global policy community, the jury is now in about the power of digital payments to drive financial inclusion, particularly for women and the poor; improve efficiency and transparency in business and government; and support new economic opportunities. However, there is no consensus around the specific policy mix that will enable this potential to be fully realized.

Picking the Gridlock: Digital Payments in the Transportation Sector

Transportation Series: Blog 1 (Introduction)